Electrically-heated appliance



L. FRENCH,

ELECTRICLLY HEATED APPLIANCE.

APFucATmN flu-:D JULY 17, 1919.

1,378,850, y Patente@ May 24 1921,

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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L. FRENCH.

ELECTRICALLY HEATED APPLIANCE;

.APPLICATION man JULY 17, 1919.

gfggge Patented May 24, i921,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Linnen 't' ings. specification, like characters on the each of AdraWings representing y like parts in the several views` i l `l AThis inventionA relates to electrically ,ed appliances and .apparatus and more particularly tofmeans associated' therewith tor i om'atically controlling the supply of curfrentwt'o the appliance to prevent overheating f i l i of. lVliile having other and more Aal fields ci usefulness theinvention is well i apteldfor lutilization with an electrically `lieated' `latiron, and it is herein so shown for illustrative purposes. The foregoing and Yother'.ibjects and `advantages vvof the invention" i'vil'l4 more fully Atocar from the following .detailed descript.v` le tures of novelty will be pointed out in the )""e'nde'd claims.

y ie'ferring to the drawings:

igure l is a lengthwise vertical section of electrically heated )flat-iron equipped with my invention; A

y Fig. 2 is a plan View `with the handle removed ,and with portions sectioned away to show interior construction; l

Fig.. 3 is a Vpartial-side view with a part in section [showing a modified form;

Fig. 4 is 'anA end view With a part broken airay of the form shown inV Fig. 3;

` 5 is a partial elevation showing ay casing :memberI of Fig. 3 removed;

G'is a side elevation With a part broken laway sl'ioiving` another embodiment of the invention;

L Tis i; plan view of the form shown in Fig. 6 with parts-broken away;

.FifgQfS is-Aa transversefsection throughthe rearportion of the dat iron and Y f Fig, 9 is a detail ,fierspective view showingr enlarged .certain parts lot the mechanism or' Fieri? l0 heated ,-atf-irjon equipped with a usualhousing llfthereoyerfwith a suitably dispose-'l electricfheatu-g element lshownas a coil ,of

resistanceivire directly over the base l0 andusual slabVo-rblock 13 inthe upper intl,

- Y aidhousing overfthe heating ele- .r nnncrfsrcetarnnarnn Specification of Letters-Fatemi* Applicaties .ned .my i7, 191e. semi ne. arnese.

and the distinctive lindicates the ybasent an electrically artnr nient, this slab being commonly made of iron oru other material adapted to add requisite weight to the flat-iron and to servey as` a heat conserving andi equalizing element. The handle lll is shown as secured to the slab 13 by the bolts l5 While the slab 13 is held assembled with the base by one or more bolts 16. 17, 18 designate the external contact terminals with Which the ends of the heating coil l2 are engaged, these Vbeing shown as usual spaced apart metalpins adapted to be engaged by a cord socket. ln accordance with my invention I provide a slniint circuit jlbetween the terminals 17, 18 which has included therein a circuit cut-out shown in Figs. lto 5 as a`blow-out fuse 20. As best seen in Fig. 2 thisy fuse is included both in lsaid shunt circuit and in the main circuit .which goes through the heating ele ment, .a e., the shunt circuit branches off for one thereof hav-ing a relatively high coeflicient oi' expansion, and a nickel steel alloy for the other thereof with a relatively low co-eficient of expansion. rhese metal layers may be secured together in any suitable Way either byavelding or by riveting or other- Wise,it'being understood that the particular character of this composite metal. strip per se forms no `part of the invention. The Contact 22 which is included in the shunt'circuit 19 is preferably 'adjustable with reference to the strip 2l and for this purpose it is shown as having an insulated mounting on a post or pin 23 extending laterally inward 'from the side of the housing; With an adjusting head 24e therefor.:projecting` outward to the exterior oi thehollands.' In use, the strip 2l normally occupies v"the position shown in Fig. Q, 2'. e., with its free extremity separated by some little distance from the con-v tact QQ-so that the shunt circuit of which said :strip and Contact form the terminals, is

broken. Wheneverthefiron becomes eXces? sivelyhot for any 'reason such as' by being lo ing' and the thermostatic strip 21 is'preflerably and as shown located close to and just above the base. so as to be most readily responsive to changes in the heat thereof.

y It is also practicable to employ the present automatic cut-out with dat-irons already in use. For this purpose I provide a hous-v ing which may be secured. to ther rear end of the Hat-iron, as shown by means of screws 2o 26 passed through and engaging lugs 27 at each side thereof. This housing is equipped with auxiliary .terminal pins 28, 29 adapted to. be engaged by the cord socket as usual. One of these pins shown as the pin 28 is di- 25 rectly engaged with one of the pinsl170 of the flat-iron as regularly constituted. From this terminal pin 170 a shunt circuit 19 leads to a thermostatic strip 21 similar to the strip 21 already described and anchored at one end 30 to the housing as indicated at21b. A relatively fixed contact 22 is mounted in position to be engaged by the stri 21 when it is flexed by abnormal heat. is connected with the other terminal pin 35 180 of the iron as regularly equipped and it is also connected through the fuse 20 with the auxiliary terminal pin 29.. With this organization it will be understood that the shunt circuit l19 is normally open and 40 that upon abnormal heat in the iron the strip 21' will engage the contact 22 completing the shunt circuit which will blow the fuse 20 and thus open the connection from the supplemental contact pin 29 lto the regular contact pin 180 of the iron. The contact 22 may also in this case be made adjustable toward and from the strip 2l by having the same clamped in place by -a screw 30 which may be adjusted in a slot 31 of the housin 25. Instead of using a blowout fuse 1g breaking the main circuitthrough the heating element by the use of a shunt circuit controlled as described and in Figs. 6, 7

and 8 I show the use of an electro-magnet for this purpose. In this form the arrangement of the heating element and of the thermostatic contact strip 21 may be precisely -as already described and arranged to control a shunt circuit 19 in the same manner. This shunt circuit instead of having a fuse therein includes an electro-magnet 32, the armature 33 of whichyis connected with one of the terminal posts 18 of the iron through the -connection 34: and from which the shunt circuit is Contact 22 may employ other means forA reverse@ branches. The armature 33 when retracted, 'L'. e., whenthe magnet is denergized engages a ixed contact 3,5 which is in the main circuit and leads from an end of the resistance element as indicated at 36. With this organiz'ation upon abnormal heating such as to Hex the strip 21 and close the shunt circuit 19, the attraction of the armature 33 will break the main circuit by separating" the contacts The armature thus moved is held in circuit breaking positionl -by suitable means which may be of various forms but, is herein shown as a spring detent 37 fixed to the housing and equipped with a shoulder which is adapted to snap in 50 behind the armature and hold it in circuit breaking position after it is moved to Such position by the magnet. This detent may have a projecting finger 37a extendin up through the housing for convenientv and actuation to trip said detent when it is desired to again set the iron in opera-tion and renergize the heating element. I am aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from theaspirit or attributes thereof, and 1 therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had -to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as newv and desire to secure by Letters' Patent is: I

1. An electric iat iron comprising a heating element in a main circuit and 1n juxtaposition to the operative surface of said iron,

a shunt circuit associated with said main circuit and having circuit closing means therein responsive to an abnormal degree of heat in the iron and located within the iron relatively yclose to the operative surface thereof, and a circuit breaker in said main circuit responsive to energization of said shunt circuit..

2. An electric flat iron or the like 'compris` ing a main circuit with a heatingelement therein 'and in juxtaposition to the operative surface of said iron, a shunt circuit associated with said main circuit normally open but equipped with a device4 responsive to an abnormal degree of heat in the iron for closing the same, said device located within the iron and relatively close to its operative surface, and a circuit breaker in said main circuit and also housed within the iron connected for operation by energization of said shunt circuit.

3. An electrically heated flat iron compris- 1-25 ing a main circuit having a heating Vcoil therein, a shunty circuit associated with said main circuit having controlling contacts, one thereof borne by a strip of thermostatic metal responsive to abnormal heat for c011- 130 trolling said contacts, said strip located Within the iron and relatively close to its operative surface, and meansfor controlling the main circuit connected for operation by 5 energization of said shunt circuit.

4. An electrically heated flat iron com rising a circuit having a heating element herein located Within the iron and relatively close to its operative surface and thermo- 10 static means forcontrolling said circuit also located within the iron and relatively close to its operative surface.

5. An'electrically' heated flat iron comprising a circuit having a heating element therein located Within the iron and relatively close to its operative surface thermostatic means for controlling said clrcuit also located within the iron and relatively close to its operative surface, an automatic device for holding said circuit broken after the breaking thereof by said thermostatic means and a manual trip for releasing said device.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

LINDOL FRENCH. 

